Thread-clamping device for sewing-machines.



No.-'766,715. I PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904.

R. L. LYONS.

THREAD OLAMPING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES. APPLIQATION FILED FEB.8. 1904. N0 MODEL. SHEETS-$111131 l.

PATENTBD AUG. 2, 1904.

R.L.'LYONS. THREAD OLAMPING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICIA'IXON'PILED PEILB. 19o4. 4 snEETssHEET'2.

DEL.

E WMMMW q E u m. E h

PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904.

R. L. LYONS.

THREAD GLAMPING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION PILED'PEB- B, 1904.

4 8HBETSBKEBT 3.

.ODEL.

PATBNTED AUG. 2, 1904.

R L. LYONS.

THREAD GLAMPING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. B, 1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4 N0 MODEL.

III II I needle.

UNITED STATES Patented August 2, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT L. LYONS, OFdVALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

THREAD-CLAIVIPING DEVICE FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,715, dated August 2, 1904.

7 Application filed February 8, 1904- Serial No. 192,582. (No model.)

To all whom, it incl/y coitc elfn:

Be it known that I, Bonner L. LYONS, of Val tham, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new 5 and useful Improvements in Thread-Clamping Devices for Sewing-Machines; andI hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings,

forming part of this specification.

This invention refers to improvements in devices for clamping or securing the needlethread of a sewing-machine to prevent the withdrawal of said thread from the eye of the One object of the invention is to so construct a needle-thread clamp'for sewing-machines that said thread maybe clamped against the needle.

1 Another object of the invention is to so construct a-needle-thread clamp for sewing-machines that the thread maybe clamped 01' secured belowthe needlethread take-up.

Another object of the invention is to so cons'q struct a thread-clamp of this nature that the I thread may be automatically released by said .clamp on the downward movement of the needle.

Other objects of the invention will appear 3 from the following description.

The invention consists in the thread-clamping means and the mechanism for operating the same.

The invention also consists in such other novel features of construction and comb-ina tion of parts as shall hereinafter be more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure .1 represents an end elevation of parts of a sewing-machine to illustrate the construc- 4 tion and application of the improved threadclamp, the thread-clamp release being broken away. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation'of parts of the same, showing the thread-clamp in the open position. Fig. 3 represents a crosssectional view taken on line 3 3, Fig. 2, and

showing the needle-thread between the threadclamp and the needle. Fig. 4 represents a view similar to that shown in Fig. 2 with the clamping devices positioned to clamp the 5 thread against the needle, Fig. 5 being a sectional view taken on line 5 5. Fig. 4, showing the clamp in position to hold the thread I in the retracted position, the needle-bar having moved downward from the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4 as the clamp-arm is being brought into contact with the release. Fig.

' 7 represents a similar view showing'the clamparm as swung by working against the release in the further downward movement of the needle-bar.- Fig. 8 represents a cross-sectional view taken on line 8 8, Fig. 2, parts of the same being broken away. Fig. 9 represents an end elevation of parts of a sewing-machine, illustrating this improvement, a side elevation of one form of presser-foot being shown in connection with the presser-foot rod. Fig. 10 represents a cross-sectional view taken on line 10 10, Fig. 9, to more clearly indicate the relative locations of the presserfoot"rod, the

needle-bar, and the plate for actuating the clamping device to clamp the thread.

Similar characters ofreference designate corresponding parts throughout.

In sewing-machines, and particularly in those adapted for the sewing of groups of stitches and when an automatically-acting take-up is used to draw the needle-thread upward. there is a tendency todraw the cut end of the needle-thread through the eye of the needle, necessitating the rethreading of the needle before the same can be started for sewing.

This accidental drawing of the needle-thread from the needle-eye also frequently occurs on the first downward stroke of the needle from the impulse of such movement or from slight undue friction on the thread from any cause not in itself sufficiently resisting the movement of the thread to cause breakage thereof, but sufficient to resist the movement of the thread while the needle is carried downward. In carrying this invention into practice it has occurred to me that the needle-thread should be clamped or secured as near as possible to 9 the needle-eye, so that the thread will lie close to the needle, thereby avoiding the accidental engagement of that portion of the needlethread extending from the clamping device to the needle-eye, and so that on the downward movement of the needle, or at least during the initial part of such movement, the thread will be positively drawn in the same down ward direction.

In the drawings, lO-indicates a portion of the head of any well-known sewing-machine furnished with a presser-foot rod 11, movably mounted in said head and provided with means whereby the rod may be moved upward. As shown herein, in its preferred form this elevating means for the presser-foot rod 11 comprises the lever 12, pivotally mounted in the head and having the end 13 adapted to engage under the projection 14 of said rod 11, the long end of the lever'12 being connected by the. rod 15 with any suitable depressing means, as the treadle usually found in machines of this class, a retracting strain being exerted on said connecting e rod 15 by the spring 16, secured to a member on said rod 15 and to the bed 17 of the machine or to some other fixed part.

Mounted to slide vertically in the head 10 is the cam-rod 18, having the neck 19 and the inclined cam-surface 20, this cam-rod being pivotally connected with the end 13 of the lever 12 to move coincidently with the presserfoot rod 11.

The needle-bar 21 is movably mounted in the head 10 in the usual manner and is operated by any well-known driving mechanism. At the lower end of the needle-bar any ordinary means are provided for securing theshank'22 of the needle 23.

At the lower portion of the head 10 and embracing the needle-bar 21 is fixed the collar 24, and mounted on this collar'is the depending release member 25, having the in- -wardly-turned end 26, and, at a point on said collar opposite to the location of the member 25 is secured the plate 27, having a guide-perforation 28,through which the cam-rod 18 works, the plate 27 being also secured to the lower end of the head 10 by the screw 27, Fig. 1.

Pivotally mounted on the screw 30 of the plate 27 is theplate 31, having the perforation 32, Fig. 8, through which the rod 18 works, the rounded edge 33 and the projection 34, adapted to be intercepted by the pin 35, extending from the plate 27 when the plate 31 is retracted by the spring 36, secured at its respective ends to said plates 27 and 31, this retraction being possible only when the neck 19 of the cam-rod 18 is positioned in the perforation 32, as when the plate 31 is re tracted the perforations 28 and 32 do not completely register. i

It will now be seen that when the cam-rod 18 works upward the cam-surface 20thereof working against the edge of the perforation 32 in the plate 31 at one side of the pivot 30 will cause the'swinging of the portion of said plate at the other side of said pivotthat is, the portion opposite the needle-bar toward the left from the position shown in Figs. 6

and 7that is, this portion of the plate 31 will be moved toward the needle-bar.

The needle-bar is preferably provided near its lower end with the screw 37, forming a pivot, and on this pivot in frictional contact with the needle-bar is the plate 38, having at its lower end the clamping-frame 39, which embraces the shank 22 of the needle and has the opening 40. At its upper end this plate 38 has the straight shoulder 41 and the curved shoulder 42, curving outward above the pivot 37 and then inward at the upper end of said plate.

The needle-thread A is passed through the eye of the usual take-up device 43 and through suitable guide-eyes, as 44, to and through the eye of the needle, and passing between the needle-shank 22.and the clamping-frame 39, the opening 40 being provided in such frame to permit the entering of thread therein without unthreading the needle.

The lever 12 is generally actuated to lift the presse'r-foot rod 11 when the needle-bar is approximately at its 'upper limit of movement. At the same time the cam-rod 18 is moved upward and its cam-surface 20 work-' ing against the edge. of the perforation 32 in the plate 31 thus effecting the swinging of said plate on its pivot 30 against the action of the spring 36. This movement of the plate 31 from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 4 brings the edge 33 of said plate against the straight shoulder 41'of the plate 38, which being pivoted on the needlebar is swung to the position shown in Fig. 4 and bringing the frame 39 to the position shown in Figs.v 4 and 5 to clamp the needlethread between said frame and the shank 22 of the needle. When thus clamped, the needlethread lies close to the needle 23 and is not likely to be accidentally engaged and drawn from the needle-eye, while no strain exerted on'said thread above the clamping-frame can draw the thread from the needle-eye. At the sametime no resistance is offered in any manner to the downward movement of the needlebar, even where the pressure on the lever 12 is not previously released, the shoulder 41 being free to move by the edge 33 of the plate 31 in both the upward and the downward movements of the needle-bar.

' In the ordinary operation of the machine the lever 12 is released from its depressing pressure before the restarting of the machine and the spring 16 acts to raise the rod 15 and the outer end of, said lever, the end 13 of the lever moving downward and movingthe neck 19 of the cam-rod 18 into position in the perforation 32 of the plate 31, thus permitting the spring 36 to act to-retract the plate 31 until the projection 34 is intercepted by the pin 35. During the initial part of the first downward stroke of the needle-bar and the needle the thread remains clamped against accidental withdrawal from the needle incidental to theimpulse of such movement, combined with any slight resistance exerted on the thread in any manner, this being readily understood by reference to Fig. 6 of the drawings, in which the needle-bar and needle are shown as moved down from the position shown in Fig. 5. When the needle-bar moves down a distance determined by the length of the release 25 or by the length of the plate 38, as shown in Fig. 6, the curved shoulder 42 of the plate 38 rides over the end 26 of the release 25, and this plate is thus caused to swing from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 7, the thread A being released by the clam ping-frame 39 swinging away from the shank of the needle.- In this latter position of the plate 38 no interference is oflered by any part of the thread-clamping mechanism to the ordinary operation of the machine in sewing.

While I prefer that the release of the thread should be effected automatically, I do not Wish to limit myself to such means or to any particular means for accomplishing this result.

Having thus described my invention, Ielaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a sewing-machine, the combination with the needlebar,-anda needle carried thereby, of a thread-clamp partially embracing the needle mounted'on the needle-bar and movable toward and from the needle whereby the thread maybe clamped to. the shank of the needle, and mechanism for moving said clamp toward the needle.

2. In a sewing-machine, the combination with the needle-bar, and a clamping member movably mounted thereon, of the presser-footlifting means and mechanism connected with and actuated by the movement of the presserfoot-lifting meansfor effecting the movement f of said member 3. In a sewing-machine, the combination with the needle-bar, and clamping means comprising a movable member and a [ixcd member mounted on said bar, of the presser-footlifting device, means connected therewith for actuating the movable clamping member in one direction, and means, fixed as regards the movement of the needle-bar, against which said movable member may ride to move said latter member to the release position.

4. In a sewing-machine, the combination with the needle-bar, a rigid clamping member thereon, and a second clamping member pivotally mounted on said bar and having a camshoulder, of a plate pivotally supported from the machine-frame, means connected with and actuated-from the presser-lifting mechanism for moving said plate toward the needle-bar, and means supported from the machine-frame against which the cam-shoulder of the pivoted member may ride at times for the purpose described.

5. The combination with the needle-bar 21, adapted to carry the needle 22, and the plate 38 pivoted on the needle-bar and having the frame 39 and the shoulder 42, of the member 25 fixed on the machine-frame and having the end 26, the plate 27 supported from the machine and having the perforation 28, the plate 31 pivotally mounted on the plate 27 and hav' ing the perforation 32, the rod 18 adapted to work in the perforations 28 and 32 of said plates and having the neck 19 and the in clined surface 20,'and the presser-foot-lifter lever 12 with which said rod is pivotally connected, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

H. J. MILLER, S. GOOSTRAY. 

